LG's V20 won't be modular like the LG G5

No 'friends' for the V20

LG released its first modular phone – the LG G5 – earlier this year, but the latest reports suggest its next flagship phone which launches later this week won't include such an innovative design.

According to eyewitness accounts the LG V20 won't come with swappable modules, which LG calls 'friends', but it will have a removable battery.

The back cover will be removable, giving you access to the power pack as well as the SIM card and microSD slots.

Goodbye Friends

Sources who've seen the phone provided details to CNET Korea to create the renders, and suggested that LG wouldn't include a modular approach to shorten the time between manufacture and getting the handset on sale.

The LG V10 didn't have a modular design either, so it's not a big surprise that it's tipped not to feature in the V20; and while this isn't confirmation that LG is giving up on the customisable phone idea, it doesn't bode well.

The LG G5 hasn't sold as well as the company had hoped – and with Google announcing an end to its Project Ara modular phone last week, this may not be the best time to start getting excited about modular phones.

LG is launching the V20 at a San Francisco event tomorrow, September 6, and we'll be there to bring you all the latest.